Flow - John Derek Bishop
“Flow” is a meditative ambient album by John Derek Bishop inspired by Norwegian nature. It is his most minimalistic album to date and the eleven songs take the listener on a journey through different moods. The overall feeling of the album is light and positive, although occasionally dark and moody.
Bishop recorded the album in his studio at Tou in Stavanger, Norway. The album differs from most of Bishop’s latest releases because he has played all the instruments himself, with the sole exception of a trumpet sample by Simen Kiil Halvorsen on the track “Cobalt”. The instruments used to make the album are electric piano, guitar, piccolo bass, and modular synths. These instruments have been manipulated to create complex soundscapes combined with field recordings from nature and urban areas. Texture and sound are important parts of the album, not just the actual notes being played. Most of the sounds have a soft and smooth timbre. The whole album has been re-mixed in the beer brewing halls of Tou to give the album a wider sound and an organic reverb.
Bishop hopes the album will give the same sense of peace to his listeners, that it did for him while making it. The titles are a set of colours that inspired Bishop while making the album, with blue as a predominant colour that is strongly connected to the music. The album title “Flow” is about the process of making the album. Bishop has been seeking a state of flow when making this album, trying to be in a meditative state focusing on the feeling of making the music, rather than the thought process of composing. Flow is about getting into this state and hopefully the listener will experience this too.
“Flow” is Bishop ‘s seventh studio album released on Jazzland Recordings since 2016. He has previously released music with Arve Henriksen, Nils Petter Molvær, Eivind Aarset, Jan Bang, Erland Dahlen, and more. His solo album from 2016 was nominated for the Norwegian Grammy (Spellemann Prisen) and his albums have received critical acclaim.
The album was mixed by Steven Bishop and mastered by Taylor Deupree. The album cover is a photo taken by Bishop close to his cabin in the mountains where he records music.